


Confidence

by vogue91



Category: Arashi (Band), Johnny's Entertainment
Genre: Childishness, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mocking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-04-24 16:17:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14359071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vogue91/pseuds/vogue91
Summary: “I don’t like the VS Arashi, Masaki.”





	Confidence

Sho was in a really foul mood.

He had gotten back home and had heavily collapsed on the couch, turning on the TV and staring at the screen without any real interest.

Aiba had kept staring at him from the doorway, waiting for the anger to cool down and for him to start talking.

When it hadn’t happened and he had grown tired of waiting, he sat down next to him, resting a hand on his leg.

The elder turned to look at him, frowning.

“Sho-chan...” he started, his voice soothing, as to make him feel comfortable. “Can you tell me what’s going on? You’ve been in a bad mood since we’ve left Fuji TV.” he asked, confused.

Sakurai sighed, as if annoyed by his question. He leant to the coffee table in front of the couch, grabbing the remote and muting the TV, and Aiba took it as a sign that he was finally going to talk to him.

“I don’t like the VS Arashi, Masaki.” he said, after a few seconds. The taller man looked confused, and sat straight up on the couch.

“What do you mean you don’t like the VS Arashi?” he asked. Sho blushed slightly, while he lowered his eyes on the floor and started twisting his fingers.

“I don’t like it, that’s it. It’s not the kind of show for me, I always get made fun of, I can’t do one single thing... well, there’s the joke and then there’s the public humiliation!” he complained, looking back at him in the eyes.

Aiba, on his part, looked more and more surprised as Sho kept talking. When he was done he put a hand on his shoulder, barely smiling.

“Come on Sho-cha, it’s not public humiliation! Each one of us has his strong points and his weak ones, but it doesn’t mean you’re humiliated. It’s true that at times we point out the fact that you’re not...” he cleared his throat, searching the right word to use as to not worsen the situation. “ _talented_ for some of the games, but it doesn’t mean anything!” he said, little reassured by the elder’s expression.

“ _At times?”_ he hissed, incredulous. “It’s not at times, Aiba. It’s always. And I laugh, because I can’t do anything else, but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t bother me. Especially when you gang up on me.” he explained, venting his frustration.

Aiba frowned, staring at him.

“What does it mean gang up on you? No one gets really mad when we tease you at the VS because you make mistakes during the games.” he said, and then kept quiet, intently, as if he was trying to remember a time when something like that might’ve happened, without managing to come up with something.

He saw Sho biting on his tongue, and instinctively pulled away the hand that was still on his shoulder.

“Did you see Nino today when we’ve lost the challenge because of me for that damn hoop?” he hissed.

Aiba opened his eyes wide, finally understanding why the other was in such a foul mood.

Yes, he had seen that.

He had seen Nino glaring at the elder, and then starting to complain.

 _“It’s always you, uh? We can never do something properly and there you come and ruin it. Next time you’re going first, so at least_ we _can save some time!”_

It was one of the customary, useless outburst from Nino, and the others hadn’t minded it much.

Jun had sighed, while he and Ohno had laughed.

“Oh, Sho-chan… you know better than me how Nino is, you shouldn’t take him too seriously. You know he’s competitive, he hates to lose, whether there’s something at play or not. He’s probably already forgotten what’s happened, and for sure you can’t think he’s gotten seriously mad about something so stupid!” he said, trying to sound convincing.

Sakurai glimpsed at him, biting on his lip.

“But it’s actually my fault if we lost the challenge. And it’s basically my fault every time something goes wrong at the VS Arashi.” he insisted, but the younger noticed he didn’t seem so certain as before.

“So what?” he asked, shrugging. “We all make mistakes. Who at the VS, who at the Himitsu, who during concerts, who when we record... it’s normal, Sho-chan. Why are you so bothered? I know it annoys you to think you’re the one who always makes mistakes, but it’s not like that. And... I promise you, we’ll try to make less fun of you, if it bothers you. Or at least, I will.” he said, smiling.

Sho looked at him gratefully.

He knew, he had always known, how much amused the others making fun of him, serious or not.

And he knew Aiba was going to try, but that he was never going to completely resist the temptation to point out his mistakes, the same innocent smile on his face.

But it was enough for him that he had decided to try, at least. That had cheered him up, stayed there listening to his complaints which, he had to admit that, were pretty childish.

He smiled back, wrapping an arm around his waist and pulling him closer.

“Thank you, Masaki.” he murmured.

“My duty, Sho-chan.” the other replied with the same tone, then he raised his voice and went on. “And anyway, from what I understood we’re not doing the thing with the hoop anymore. I think we’re going to try something equally useless.” he added, chuckling. “Ganbatte, Sho-chan.”

The elder sighed, little excited at the idea of having to do something new.

He knew he wasn’t going to succeed, because he _never_ did.

But after all Aiba was right, they all had their weak points.

He was going to clench his teeth and kept going, like always.

But still, he thanked the gods that the VS Arashi aired just once a week.

 


End file.
